Locker basket



0d. 6, 1970 P. J. WENTA LOCKER BASKET Filed Sept. 18, 1968 INVEN7DR PETER J. WENTA Q UWT'Y United States Patent 3,532,246 LOCKER BASKET Peter J. Wenta, Brentwood, Mo., assignor to .lackes- Evans Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 760,548 Int. Cl. B65d 7/20, 21/00 US. Cl. 22019 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in locker baskets in general and, more specifically, is directed to a new and improved locker basket having improved ventilation and strength characteristics.

Baskets formed in a grid-like pattern of wire or similar material have found commercial acceptance as storage facilities for personal effects in gymnasiums, swimming pools and other public places of this type. The general locker basket is formed of a woven or welded wire construction with the grid being fairly close and of generally rectangular or rhombic configuration, having vertical walls which intersect a generally flat bottom. Such baskets are normally housed on open shelves with a padlock securing the basket to the shelf with the underside of the shelf above forming the cover for the locker basket. In locker facilities where an attendant. is present, the locker basket is usually placed on open-type shelving with padlocks omitted. Metal shelving, because of its appearance, ease of fabrication and strength to thickness ratio, has received considerable acceptance for use as locker basket storage facilities. One problem encountered with the use of known types of locker baskets in this type of facility is the abrading or scuffing of the paint or other coating on the locker shelf. In normal usage, the basket houses clothing which is wet or damp, such as towels, athletic equipment and personal effects, with the result that after the shelf has been abraded, the exposed metal begins to corrode. Accompanying this disadvantage is the lack of or slow drying of the basket contents at the bottom if it is in contact with the shelf.

The present invention relates to a new and improved type of basket having improved features which obviate the difiiculties and disadvantages of the prior art designs. In the present design, an endless perimetrical ring of rather heavy gauge wire is formed to a rectangular configuration. A plurality of wires running from one side of the ring to the opposite side form the basket bottom, with rigidity and the side walls being defined by coaxially disposed rings which form a grid-like pattern when intersection the generally vertical wires and, thus, form the side walls of the basket. The bottom of the basket is novelly formed so as to be elevated relative to the margin at the intersection with the side walls therey providing a generally runner-like effect on the sides. The longitudinal wires along the bottom serve as supports for the basket, maintaining the entire basket in spaced relation to the supporting shelf. With the elevated central portion, air flow by natural convection assures good drying of the 3,532,246 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 locker basket contents without mildew. The present design provides the new and improved features without increasing the cost of manufacture and, in addition, provides the advantage of being structurally rigid due to the novel features.

A better comprehension of the advantages of the present design may be had by consideration of the objects of the invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved locker basket of simplified construction which provides for ventilation on all sides of the basket contents and further serves to maintain the contents spaced from the supporting shelf to assure cleanliness of the contents.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved locker basket having improved structural features which provide for better ventilation, less shelf abrasion and will be interchangeable with existing locker basket designs and shelf arrangements.

Objects other than those set forth herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon perusal of the accompanying drawings and following description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a locker basket incorporating the novel features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and illustrating the runner construction in side elevation.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a locker basket is indicated at 10 being formed by a perimetrical ring 11 of generally rectangular configuration. At spaced points around the perimeter of the ring is provided depending wire members 12 having the upper ends folded over the top of the ring 11. The depending wires 12 extend downwardly to form the side walls 24 and 25 and ends 20 and 21 of the basket 10 transversely and then back up to the opposite side of the ring 11. Such depending wires are provided at spaced intervals around the margin of the ring 11. A plurality of endless rings are welded or otherwise attached to the outer surfaces of the Wires 12 at spaced intervals to form a grid-like pattern. As is evident in FIG. 1, the intersection of the depending wires extending from opposite sides of the ring 11 form a grid-like pattern orrihe bottom with the composite grid-like patterns on the sides being formed by intersection with the endless rings to define the general shape of the locker basket. A padlock eye 14 may be formed in the perimetrical ring 11, if desired.

The bottom of the basket is elevated relative to the side margins whereby the lowest or supporting members on the bottom are defined by longitudinally extending wires 16, 17, 18 and 19. The opposite ends of the basket indicated generally at 20 and 21 intersect with the end of the bottom whereby the depending wire members are spaced from a plane contacting the underside of the wires 16, 17, 18 and 19.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the gridlike pattern forming the end 20 of the basket 10 is bent in the central portion rather sharply out of the plane of the shelf shown fragmentarily in section at 22 to join to the bottom 27. The first two depending wire members 12 adjacent the sides 24 and 25 of the basket overlie the depending wire members on the sides 24 and 25 along the side margins of the bottom 27 to form the runners 16, 17, 18 and 19 which are the sole areas of contact with the shelf 22. The spaced runners provide for good lateral stability of the basket, yet maintain the bottom 27 of the locker basket substantially spaced from the shelf. The central portion of the bottom 27 is elevated relative to the side margins to maintain the contents well spaced from the locker shelf 22 for maximum ventilation.

Because of the simplified construction of the basket, it is readily manufactured and also provides improved characteristics over known prior art designs. For example, the contents of the basket are maintained spaced off of the supporting locker shelf for cleanliness and maximum drying. This also serves to prevent corrosion or deterioration of the shelf, depending upon the material used for shelving. The minimization of the contact with the shelf through the use of the novel runner arrangement serves to reduce the possibility of abrasion, as it limits contact with the shelf and permits the basket to be easily grasped in the central region of the bottom 27. Should abrasion of the shelf surface occur, it will be in an area where the damp clothing will be spaced relative to the shelf surface to prevent corrosion. Obviously, the elevated bottom panel 27 formed by the grid network improves the structural characteristics. If desired, the entire basket may be coated by a suitable corrosion-resistant coating such as a vinyl, plastic or the like.

Upon a consideration of the foregoing, it will become obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention embodied herein.

I claim:

1. A locker basket particularly adapted for use in storing personal effects such as clothing, athletic equipment and the like, said basket comprising a perimetrical band of generally rectangular configuration having a plurality of spaced depending wires extending continuously from one side of the perimetrical band to the other, a plurality of circumferentially disposed endless rings coaxially arranged and axially spaced, overlapping said depending wires at spaced intervals to form a grid-like pattern, each of said rings being smaller than the preceding ring in a direction away from said perimetral band to permit nesting of said locker basket within another basket of similar construction when empty, said depending wires and rings compositely forming generally vertically-extending oppositely-facing side and end walls and a transverse bottom defining the outline of said basket, said grid pattern forming said bottom having a central portion thereof elevated relative to the margins of said bottom adjacent said veritcal walls to define relatively narrow shelf engaging support means for maintaining said central portion of said basket contents spaced therefrom to enhance ventilation and drying of contents of said basket and avoid direct contact with said supporting shelf.

2. The locker basket of claim 1 wherein said ends of said basket at the juncture with the bottom are spaced from said shelf and said shelf engaging means includes a pair of spaced runners along each of said side walls on the bottom of said basket for engagement with said shelf.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,351,577 8/1920 Lombard 220-19 2,606,683 8/1952 Rudd.

2,964,211 12/1960 Pfeffer 22019 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,088,347 3/ 1955 France.

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 22097 

